Underwaist.



I. MILLER.

UNDBBWAIST.

1131110111011 FILED NOV. 25, 1911.

1,068,689, Patented July 29, 1913.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co. WASHINGTON, n. c.

TTNTTED TATE PAdilENT @FFT FCE.

IONE MILLER, OF BRADFORD, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE SPIRELLA COLNL PANY, OF MEADVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPGEATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

\ UNDERWAIST.

Application filed November 25, 1911.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 29,1913.

Serial No. eeaesa.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, TONE MILLER, a resident of Bradford, in the county of McKean and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Underwaists, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to underwaists, and more particularly for childrens wear, designed to support nether garments, as skirts, waists, drawers, stockings, etc.

The object is to provide a waist of the character stated, which is strong and durable and to which the button and other nether garment securing means are detachably secured so they can be readily removed before laundrying.

A. further object is to provide, for a waist of the character stated, an improved garter attachment which is strong and durable, but nevertheless cheap and inexpensive.

The invention comprises the construction and arrangement of parts herein described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a plan view of the waist spread out upon a fiat surface; Fig. 2 is a detail view of one of the detachable buttons; Fig. 3 is a detail view of an improved garter attachment; and Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 1%, Fig. 1.

On the drawing, A represents the body of the waist which is formed of any suitable fabric and, as shown, is provided with a straight lower edge 1, vertical meeting edges 2, 2 and shoulder straps 3. The shoulder straps are shown as broken off, but it is understood that they are either continuous or made separable and provided with connecting means, such as buttons and buttonholes, to form arm holes 1. The edges of the garment are preferably bound with tape in the usual manner.

Adjacent to the waist line the body is provided with one or more horizontal reinforcing strips 5, three being shown in the drawings and extending entirely around the waist horizontally from one meeting or ge to the other. These strips are spaced apart vertically and are stitched to the body of the garment at both edges for their entire length, except for short portions at intervals where they are unattached to the body and serve as loops for the attachment of buttons and hose and other nether garment supporting means, as hereinafter pointed out.

These strips, therefore, serve both as horizontal reinforcing strips and as retaining straps for the buttons and supporters.

he garment is secured upon the body of the wearer by means of buttonholes 6 in one of the meeting edges and cooperating buttons 7 on the other meeting edge. .These buttons, as well as all other buttons used on the garment, are preferably of the construction covered by my United States Patent No. 826,588, issued May 15, 1906, and each consists of a loop 8 of tape or similar material having its ends brought together flatwise and stitched together, as at 9, and passed through the holes of the disk or head 10, thereby forming a button which can be secured to a loop, strap, buttonhole or eye by passing the loop 8 through such retaining loop and then over the head 10 of the button. This forms a readily detachable button. The loops 8 may, if desired, be formed of elastic material to yield slightly under such stresses as garments of this character encounter in use. These loops may be of any desired length, but preferably of such length as will just permit the head 10 of the button to pass through the free end of the loop, so that the button head lies comparatively close to the body of the waist.

The buttons are attached to loops 12 comprising strips of tape or fabric arranged horizontally with their ends extending underneath vertical reinforcing strips 11 and are secured in place by the stitching which secures said reinforcing strips to the body of the garment. The loops 12 near the lower edge of the waist are formed by leaving the portions of the horizontal reinforcing strips or retaining bands 5 between the vertical strips 11 unattached to the body of the waist.

At suitable intervals, vertical reinforcing strips are stitched at both of their edges to the fabric of the body and extend from the top to the bottom thereof. As shown, there are a pair of closely spaced vertical strips 18 underneath the arm holes 4, another pair of closely spaced strips 15 at the front of the garment, and other reinforcing strips 14 between strips 13 and 15 on each side, and also between strips 13 and the meeting edges of the garment. hose reinforcing strips overlie the horizontal reinforcing strips 5, and at the points 16 of crossing the reinforcing strips are secured to the body of the garment by crossing lines of stitching.

As a consequence, the portions of the horizontal reinforcing strips or retaining straps 5 between each pair of these vertical reinforcing strips are secured very firmly at both ends of such portions to the body of the garment. Certain of such portions of the horizontal reinforcing strips between vertical reinforcing strips are left unattached, which is done by merely lifting the needle of the sewing machine while traversing these portions. Such unattached portions are shown at 17, 18, 19 and 22, located respectively between vertical reinforcing straps 13, 13, 15, 15, 13, 13, and 14-, 14. These unattached portions form loops for the attachment of buttons and other supporting means for the nether garments. As shown, to the loops or straps 17, 18 and 19 are secured buttons of the same character as those heretofore described, comprising the endless loops 20 and heads 21. If desired, each of the loops to which buttons are at tached may be further reinforced by applying thereto an additional strip of tape 22 which is laid over the button retaining portion of the reinforcing strip 5 and stitched into place with the other parts. lVith such reinforcing strips, the stitching at the ends of the retaining loops or strips passes through four plies of material, as shown in Fig. 4l;1st, through one of the vertical reinforcing strips 14; 2nd, through the strengthening strip 22; 3rd, through the horizontal reinforcing strip 5, and 4th, through the body of the waist. This furnishes a very firm connection at each end of the loop or strap to which the button or other garment supporting means is attached and enables the same to withstand severe use.

To the retaining loop or strip 22 can be attached a garter or other supporting means of any suitable design. I have shown an improved form of garter attachment, the same comprising a band or strap 24 of elastic material having thereon near its upper end a slip member 25 formed of thin sheet metal constructed in a well known manner to receive a loop of material therethrough so that it can be slid lengthwise on the flexible band 2%. This slip member is provided with an eye 26 to which is attached a detachable button 31. Firmly stitched to the free end 27 of the elastic band is a strip 28 of tape or other non-elastic material having in its free end a but-tonhole 29 disposed lengthwise therein to cooperate with the button 31. The free end of this band is turned upon itself and firmly stitched to strengthen it. The lower end of the elastic strip 24- may be provided with any form of adjustable garter clasp. This garment at-- tachment is supported by the underwaist by passing the tape member 28 under one of the loops 22 and then buttoning its free end onto button 31. The slip member 25 is adjusted lengthwise of the band 24: to adjust the hose supporter as necessary.

Preferably, a plurality of loops 17 18 and 19 are provided, arranged vertically one above the other so that buttons may be attached to any one thereof to provide for growth of a child or for different articles of clothing or articles of different sizes. The garter attachments are preferably attached at several points horizontally of the gar-- ment, and four loops 22 are shown for this purpose. Although only four of the'supporting loops are shown as provided with the special reinforcing strips or hands 22, it will be understood that any of the loops, 17, 1S and 19 may be reinforced in a similar manner. r v f lVhen the waist becomes soiled, the detachable buttons and the garter attachments are removed therefrom and may be readily replaced after the garment has been laundried, thus facilitating laundrying and preserving the buttons and garter attachments from injury to which they would otherwise be exposed.

What I claim is A waist of the class described, provided adjacent to the waist-line with a plurality of continuous horizontal reinforcing strips each extending from one meeting edge of the waist to the other, each of said strips having different portions of its length successively stitched and unattached to the waist, the several unattached portions forming loops for the attachment and support of nether garment supporting buttons, unattached portions of the several horizontal strips being disposed vertically one above the other, and a plurality of continuous vertical reinforcing strips each extending from the upper to the lower edge of the waist, said vertical strips crossing and being superimposed upon all of said horizontal strips at the ends of the unattached portions thereof and being stitched continuously throughout their length to the waist, the V stitches in said vertical strips at the crossing portions of said vertical and horizontal strips also passing through and securing the ends of said unattached iportions to the waist, whereby said horizontal and vertical strips distribute throughout the waist strain imposed upon said loops.

In testnnony whereof, I have hereunto set my h and.-

IONE MILLER.

Witnesses FRANK C. WVHITLING, C. C. MELvIN,2nd.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents; Washington, D. G. i t 

